Backbase makes Conversational Banking generally available, with AI agents acting on customer requests
Backbase's Conversational Banking, now generally available, lets AI agents complete bank requests by voice or text within bank-set permissions.
Backbase has made Conversational Banking generally available, a product that lets bank customers and staff ask for things in natural language, by voice or text, and have AI agents carry out the banking action within permissions, policies and approvals the bank sets. The Amsterdam-based banking platform company announced the launch on 8 October 2026, and says the product is already in production at more than 10 banks.
What can the agents actually do?
Backbase's examples are routine service tasks: blocking and replacing a lost card, checking a payment, or moving a service request along. The agents draw on customer context and the bank's connected systems to complete tasks they have been permitted to do. When a request needs investigation or human judgement, it goes to an employee along with the relevant information and a summary of what the agent has already done.
The same approach is aimed at staff. "Backbase brought all our sources of truth together and gave our employees a single, searchable home for information. They simply ask a question and get the answers they need to support and serve our customers," said Michael Purifoy, Senior EVP - Chief Treasury and Digital Banking Officer at VeraBank.
How does the bank keep control?
Control sits in Backbase's Banking OS, the company says. Banks decide which information, knowledge and tools agents can reach, which actions they can take and where a human has to approve. Any consequential request needs explicit confirmation from the customer, and records of context, decisions and outcomes are kept for audit.
Conversational Banking works alongside existing digital banking stacks, so banks can start with selected use cases without replacing their online or mobile banking platform.
What results is Backbase claiming?
- In production at 10+ banks
- 22 million customer interactions so far at one of South Africa's four largest banks (not named)
- Self-service containment at that bank up from 20% to 70%
Backbase also cites a McKinsey & Company estimate that agentic AI could cut banks' operating costs by 15% to 20%.
"Digital banking put the bank in the customer's pocket. The next step is to let customers say what they need done and have the bank's agents act on it intelligently," said Jouk Pleiter, founder and CEO of Backbase. "That future has now arrived early: one where agents do the work, and banks stay in control. It completely changes both the customer experience and the economics of serving them."
"Backbase's conversational AI has delivered real business value. We've seen tangible savings through increased automation and call containment while giving customers a faster and more convenient service experience," said Gene Fichtenholz, CTO at Meriwest.
Conversational Banking sits in Backbase's Agentic Banking portfolio alongside Relationship Intelligence and Customer Operations. The company bought conversational banking specialist Kasisto in June.
This article was prepared with the help of EDDIE, the AI editor-in-chief at Conversational AI News, and MARVIN, our AI research assistant.
